Ragù Quasi Alla Bolognese
A big batch of special Ragu based on a Bolognese meat sauce recipe. Meaty, aromatic and delicious!
Servings: 12 Cups
Ingredients
- 2 cups olive oil
- 2 lbs ground pork
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 lbs yellow onion, finely chopped see note #1
- 3 medium carrots, finely chopped see note #1
- 2 medium stalks celery, finely chopped see note #1
- 2 sprigs thyme See note #3
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 5 medium cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
- 1 bottle red wine, dry* minus a small taste that you must pour for yourself
- 4 cups beef or vegetable broth or stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 orange, zested
- 1/2 lemon, zested
- 1 2 inch piece of cinnamon
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 28 oz petite diced tomatoes canned or fresh
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan plus more for serving
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Pour about two tablespoons of olive oil in a large wide frying pan with high sides. (or a large pot, see note #2) Heat on medium high.
- Brown pork first and then beef in batches, about a pound at a time leaving enough room in the pan so the meat will brown instead of steam. Season with a little pepper only (no salt). Ensure each batch gets some brown caramelization on the outside of the meat. As the meat cooks, break into peanut sized pieces and continue to scrape the bottom of your pan to loosen brown bits. Set each batch aside after it's cooked in a large bowl. Add more oil if needed in between batches.
- At this point you will likely have accumulated some oil in the bottom of your pan. If not, add another tablespoon. Add your tomato paste and cook on medium heat until it turns about two shades darker. Be careful, it may splatter. Once tomato paste is a nice brick red, remove to the same bowl as the meat.
- Deglaze the pan with a little broth or wine, pour all of the liquid and brown bits over the reserved meat and tomato paste.
- Add about a half cup of olive oil to the pan over medium heat and then add your onion, carrot and celery. Add more olive oil, stirring as you go until vegetable mixture is well saturated, but not quite covered in oil, this will likely be about another cup of olive oil. Add thyme sprigs. Cook on medium heat, stirring every few minutes until mixture turns a caramel color.
- Transfer all cooked ingredients to a large dutch oven or pot. If pan has more brown bits stuck to it, deglaze again and pour into new pot. Add the garlic, wine, stock, cream, bay leaves, orange zest, lemon zest, cinnamon, tomatoes, parmesan cheese, oregano, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well and now turn heat on to medium high, bring to a boil and then immediately reduce heat to low.
- Let sauce simmer stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pot. Taste after about two hours, adjust seasoning as needed. See note #4. Cook for an additional 30-60 minutes or until flavors are melded and sauce has reduced. During the last hour skim off fat from the top of the sauce. See note #5.
- Serve on top of your favorite pasta or egg noodle. Toss your noodles with butter and parmesan before adding sauce on top.
Notes
#1 I like to use a food processor to finely chop these vegetables. The onion and celery will be wet - dry them by placing in cheese cloth or a clean kitchen towel and wring until juices are removed. You may also finely chop by hand.
#2 I like to start with a wide pan with high sides because I think the meat cooks better this way. If you prefer to do this in one pot you can, but reduce your meat batch size to allow adequate room for browning. Browning is a key flavor element here, the meat will soften again when simmering.
#3 Thyme sprig = one stem of thyme with 2-3 off-shoots per stem.
#4 Seasoning: if you want more brightness add more tomato paste or wine, if you need more richness add more cream. Taste for salt at the very end since your stock may have provided enough salt.
#5 Skim off fat with a ladle. I like to use a fat separator so that I can add back in any meat and juices that I accidentally scoop up. The fat can be saved in the refrigerator if desired for other uses such as sautéing other meats or vegetables.
Recipe inspired by family recipes and very much influenced by Samin Nosrat's version from her book Salt Fat Acid Heat.